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SB0176 • 2026

Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures

Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Polsky
Last action
2026-03-13
Official status
House - Died in Messages
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures

Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures; Requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to adopt and implement specified policies and procedures relating to safety; providing requirements for such policies and procedures; requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to annually review and update the policies and procedures, etc.

What This Bill Does

  • Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures; Requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to adopt and implement specified policies and procedures relating to safety; providing requirements for such policies and procedures; requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to annually review and update the policies and procedures, etc.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

160886

Committee amendment S 176 Filed • Appropriations Committee on Higher Education (Polsky)

Replaced by Committee Substitute 1/29/2026

Plain English: Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No.

  • Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No.
  • SB 176 Ì160886NÎ160886 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate .
  • House Comm: RCS .
  • 01/29/2026 .

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-13 House

    • Died in Messages

  2. 2026-02-19 Senate

    • Read 2nd time -SJ 346 • Read 3rd time -SJ 346 • CS passed; YEAS 37 NAYS 0 -SJ 346 • Immediately certified -SJ 356

  3. 2026-02-19 House

    • In Messages

  4. 2026-02-17 Senate

    • Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/19/26

  5. 2026-02-10 Senate

    • Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 24 NAYS 0 • Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

  6. 2026-02-05 Senate

    • On Committee agenda-- Rules, 02/10/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building

  7. 2026-02-04 Senate

    • CS by Appropriations Committee on Higher Education read 1st time

  8. 2026-01-30 Senate

    • Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute) • Now in Rules

  9. 2026-01-28 Senate

    • CS by Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; YEAS 5 NAYS 0

  10. 2026-01-23 Senate

    • On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, 01/28/26, 3:45 pm, 110 Senate Building

  11. 2026-01-14 Senate

    • Now in Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

  12. 2026-01-13 Senate

    • Favorable by Education Postsecondary; YEAS 6 NAYS 0 • Introduced

  13. 2026-01-08 Senate

    • On Committee agenda-- Education Postsecondary, 01/13/26, 4:00 pm, 301 Senate Building

  14. 2025-11-03 Senate

    • Referred to Education Postsecondary; Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; Rules

  15. 2025-10-14 Senate

    • Filed

Official Summary Text

Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures; Requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to adopt and implement specified policies and procedures relating to safety; providing requirements for such policies and procedures; requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to annually review and update the policies and procedures, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026

CS for SB 176

By
the Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; and Senator
Polsky

608-02301-26 2026176c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public postsecondary education
3 safety policies and procedures; creating s. 1004.0983,
4 F.S.; requiring state universities and Florida College
5 System institutions to adopt and implement specified
6 policies and procedures relating to safety; providing
7 requirements for such policies and procedures;
8 requiring state universities and Florida College
9 System institutions to annually review and update the
10 policies and procedures; authorizing the Board of
11 Governors and the State Board of Education to adopt
12 regulations and rules, respectively; providing an
13 effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Section 1004.0983, Florida Statutes, is created
18 to read:
19
1004.0983

Public postsecondary safety policies and

20
procedures.—

21
(1)

Each state university and Florida College System

22
institution shall adopt and implement written safety policies

23
and procedures applicable to campus facilities, classrooms, and

24
other institutional settings to prevent, report, and respond to:

25
(
a
)
An act of violence
or attempted violence
against a

26
person
.

27
(
b
)
A c
redible threat as defined in s. 784.048(1)(c).

28
(2)

The policies and procedures must:

29
(a)

Identify a person responsible for:

30
1.

Coordinating the state university or Florida College

31
System institution’s response to actions listed in paragraphs

32
(1)(a) and (b).

33
2.

Implementing such policies and procedures, including all

34
safety measures.

35
(b)

Establish clear internal and external reporting

36
protocols, including notification of campus security or a local

37
law enforcement agency when appropriate.

38
(c)

Outline the protective measures available to affected

39
persons, which may include work or class relocation, security

40
escorts, and restricting access to certain areas by a person

41
engaged in an activity listed in paragraph (1)(a) or paragraph

42
(1)(b).

43
(d)

Provide timely updates to an affected person regarding

44
the status of an incident and any action taken.

45
(e)

Ensure the policies and procedures are prominently

46
posted on the state university’s or Florida College System

47
institution’s website and available to students, faculty, staff,

48
and visitors upon request.

49
(3)

Each state university and Florida College System

50
institution shall annually review and update the policies and

51
procedures to incorporate the best practices in threat

52
assessment, campus security, and safety.

53
(4)

The Board of Governors may adopt regulations and the

54
State Board of Education may adopt rules to administer this

55
section.

56 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.